Ok, PC is dead time to replace/upgrade

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Bennyb

2[H]4U
Joined
Dec 31, 2002
Messages
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Well, its official, my p4 2.4c and IC7-g have been pronounced dead as of today :( Time to start thinking about upgrades... I'd like to keep the overall cost under say, 800 dollars. I'm thinking maybe this motherboard, with either:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-502&depa=0

or

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-514&depa=0

proc. ( Any help about which is better bang for the buck would be welcome)

I really dont know much about PCI-E vid cards so any suggestions/links would be welcome. Suposedly the ram I have is fine and the harddrives work, so... thats whats going on.
 
T he 3200+ is the best bang for your buck here and a nice overclocker, though it couldn't hurt to wait 1-2 weeks and get the Venice 3200+, about the same price, a bit faster and a much better overclocker. Great motherboard choice. For most demanding games I'd recommend a PCIe eVGA 6600GT.
 
I'm not really looking to overclock, I'm more concerned about having a system I can rely on for the next couple of years; I don't really have 1-2 weeks to wait for a new proc to come out anyway.

You mentioned the eVGA 6600GT and I was wondering that since I'm probably going to get the 3200+, might as well got for a bit more in the VPU catergory, I've heard names like 6800GT and X800, but they really mean nothing to me... Anyone care to enlighten me?

Also, this PS http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-931&depa=0

Oh and... I think i've decided on XFX nVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-Bit, Dual DVI/TV-Out, PCI-E, Model "PVT45GUD" -RETAIL
for the vid card.
 
The 6600GT is ~$175 and very fast, able to run most games at 1024x768 on their highest settings and 2 to 4xAA, 8xAF. The X800XL is about $100 more and able to run games about as fast as a 6800GT (about $150 more than a 6600GT), which is most modern games on high at 1280x1024 at 4xAA, or 1600x1200 at 2xAA or so. I know this is an overgeneralization, but any of them will get you excellent performance.

For a power supply, the 550W model is overkill for this system. Opt for this True 430W supply. :)
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-908&depa=0
 
Epicenter said:
The 6600GT is ~$175 and very fast, able to run most games at 1024x768 on their highest settings and 2 to 4xAA, 8xAF. The X800XL is about $100 more and able to run games about as fast as a 6800GT (about $150 more than a 6600GT), which is most modern games on high at 1280x1024 at 4xAA, or 1600x1200 at 2xAA or so. I know this is an overgeneralization, but any of them will get you excellent performance.

For a power supply, the 550W model is overkill for this system. Opt for this True 430W supply. :)
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-908&depa=0
Click to expand...

Ok, well, after reading a few comments about the 24pin issue I decided it would probably be best to get a 24pin PSU... the one from ANTEC is 123 bucks for the 550 watt version. I
not adverse to spending this amount of money on a PS but any suggestions are welcome. I am probably ordering this tonight so... don't hesitate to post anything that might be an improvement over what I have.
 
I would recommend a X800XL instead of that 6800GT as it should be $100 cheaper and has the same performance. The only disadvantage of getting it that I can see is doesn't overclock as well as the 6800GT.
 
erorr404 said:
I would recommend a X800XL instead of that 6800GT as it should be $100 cheaper and has the same performance. The only disadvantage of getting it that I can see is doesn't overclock as well as the 6800GT.
Click to expand...

Really? I thought I had heard somewhere that the 6800GT was about 15-20% faster? If it's just a comparison of overclocks than I would defenitly go with the less expensive one if the performance is equal. The fact that it happens to be an ATI product is just an added bonus :D
 
Go with the True430 and a 20 to 24 pin adapter; they work every bit as well and only cost about $5. There's no reason to get a supply beefier than this, it's already going to supply far more power than your system can soak up.
 
Epicenter said:
Go with the True430 and a 20 to 24 pin adapter; they work every bit as well and only cost about $5. There's no reason to get a supply beefier than this, it's already going to supply far more power than your system can soak up.
Click to expand...

"DFI does advise to use a 24pin power supply instead of using the 20 to 24 pin converter or you will have stability issues."

Taken from newegg. Although as i read more and more it seems as though most people just use a converter... well, I'll put the 430 up with a converter for now :D Nice way to save ~30 bucks. Only reason I would hesitate is because I was TOLD that 480 was not enough for my system. It was running all the stuff in my sig PLUS 4 case fans, the northbridge fan and another PCI blower fan... will 430 really cut it? I don't want the power supply to be an issue. Also, with a 6800gt wont that put even more strain on the powersupply?
 
Wattage is a pretty meaningless term as it includes the 3.3v and 5.0v rails, which about every power supply now has far too much amperage on. While 12v's amperage is what truly matters.

The Antec True430 supplies 26 Amps on the 12V rail. Here's your hardware's requirements:

CPU: 4.3A
6800GT: 2.9A
Hard Disks: 4A (2A per)
Optical Drive: 1A
Fans: 1A
Motherboard: 1A

... for a grand total around 14 Amps on the 12v rail. Almost half what the True430 can supply. You'll be quite fine with it. :)
 
I would'nt recommend buying the 6800GT over the X800XL, just want to save you money and give you performance. ;)
 
XSNiper said:
I would'nt recommend buying the 6800GT over the X800XL, just want to save you money and give you performance. ;)
Click to expand...

The X800XL is a good bang for the buck. Just note that if you do want to slap it into an SLI board with a second one later, you can't do that with the X800XL. That's popular around here. ;) Also, the core in the X800XL is quite a bit less resilient for overclocking. I've seen 6800GTs go from 300 Mhz GPU to 425, 1000 MHz VRAM to 1300 MHz, stably with a good cooler. I haven't seen anything even 1/2 this dramatic on the X800XL.
 
Ok, but everyone is agreed that at stock settings the two cards supply ~ the same amount of performance? I'm an ATI guy if you can't tell from the cards in my sig, and am more than happy to sacrifice the ability to overclock, seeing as I won't be doing any of it :D

*edit* ok system as of right now:

I-Star 24 pin to 20 pin ATX Converter, Model TC-20/24

DFI "LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D" NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU -RETAIL

Antec 430W Power Supply, Model "TRUE430" - Retail

AMD Athlon 64 3200+, 512KB L2 Cache, Socket 939 64-bit Processor - Retail

ATI Radeon X800 XL Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-Bit, DVI/TV Out, PCI-E, Model "100-435500" -OEM
 
I believe the fortron blue storm is 24 pins already, great psu. Might be worth looking into.
 
EhJayKim said:
I believe the fortron blue storm is 24 pins already, great psu. Might be worth looking into.
Click to expand...
If you are talking about this it looks as though the powersupply just comes with a 20-24 converter, rather than having a 24 pin line.

Actually, looking closer that looks like a 24-20 converter... also the reviews of it on newegg are outstanding, and someone mentions using it with the board I am thinking of purchasing... thinking about switching over to this PS... anyone? :confused:
 
Fortrons are OK, but they are not top of the line. They're usually not quite as stable rail-wise, and not as quiet. You'll even see a report of a high pitched squeal from the coils on the NewEgg reviews page.
 
Epicenter said:
Fortrons are OK, but they are not top of the line. They're usually not quite as stable rail-wise, and not as quiet. You'll even see a report of a high pitched squeal from the coils on the NewEgg reviews page.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I actually just read that in another review as well... So do you think I should stick with the antec 430 + the converter? I was also really liking the pre-sleeved cables so, at this point in time i'm torn between the two...
 
Just grab the 430 and tie up the cables neatly with wire ties. With a little patience and care it can look just as nice. For a good bit more you could also grab Antec's NeoPower 480 with modular cabling, but I really don't think it's worth it.
 
Epicenter said:
Just grab the 430 and tie up the cables neatly with wire ties. With a little patience and care it can look just as nice. For a good bit more you could also grab Antec's NeoPower 480 with modular cabling, but I really don't think it's worth it.
Click to expand...

Holy shit... thats like, exactly what I was looking for... Never saw it because it was on the second page... When I was buying parts for my comp I remember these things were just comming out... Now all i've got to do is decide whether its worth the 40 dollar upgrade... I did shave off about 100 from my origional price with the videocard... And my case could REALLY benifit from better airflow... I think I'm gonna get this one and call it even.
 
Bennyb said:
Holy shit... thats like, exactly what I was looking for... Never saw it because it was on the second page... When I was buying parts for my comp I remember these things were just comming out... Now all i've got to do is decide whether its worth the 40 dollar upgrade... I did shave off about 100 from my origional price with the videocard... And my case could REALLY benifit from better airflow... I think I'm gonna get this one and call it even.
Click to expand...

A64s don't run very hot (most A64 Winchester and Venice chips emit about 1/2 what an equivalent P4 does, or less) and GPUs can stand loads of heat. I wouldn't worry too much about your airflow too much. :)
 
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